Vlog #5 - Jamming: what will happen next?

This was one of my 1st exploits of making a Vlog while on the move and not just in the office or studio. On my way to a blues & Jazz jam session with (Lucio, Ricardo & Antonio) not really knowing what to expect... there was a workshop/demonstration, a concert then the jam. See how I got on stage, jammed the blues & did one of my original songs too!!

Week 232: Sketches - Album Cover

Sketches - Album Cover Which do you prefer? Hi Guys! I'm back in the UK and preparing to play this spring/summer. I'm working on a demo album of acoustic songs in their purest form. Tracklist: 1. 21st Century Man 4:58 (listen) 2. I Can't Sleep Tonight 4:32 3. These Are The Days Of Our Lives 3:11 4. Sofia's Song 3:34 (listen & free download) 5. Maybe 3:46 6. Smile 3:18 7. The Purpose Of Existence 4:14 8. Hold Me 0:52 9. Lord Have Mercy On My Soul 3:39 The album will have 9 songs on it and will be ready and available in a few weeks on BandCamp and at my gigs. Because I'm a solo artist, I'll be collaborating with other musicians to perform live in different setups, as a solo, a duo & as a band. Currently I'm in the studio recording & producing a full band version song number 3. These are the days of our lives. I've put over 70 hours into this song and it really has been a learning curve. My objective is to get the best possible quality in the song and production as I can using a DIY model. Later I'd like to go into a pro studio and work with a producer. I will have a preview for your feedback on which of the 2 versions you prefer in my next newsletter in May. These days I'm listening to producers like Timbaland, and solo artists like James Bay and Hozier. I look forward to performing for you soon and getting your feedback on different versions. E.g chill-out, instrumental and acoustic versions. I look forward to playing live. But its back into the studio for the moment.See you soon! Zack aka RedEyeZack I prefer album cover A I prefer album cover B

Week 189: Sala Monasterio Jam Sessions - New location at Vila Olympic

Hi Guys,

I've been out of the local music scene since January and now having more time to dedicate to playing live.

I'm starting to support friends and musicians in Barcelona and arranging some new songs to perform for you around Barcelona's Jam Session and Open Mic scene.

There is a new Jam session starting this Sunday at Sala Monasterio in collaboration with Larry Smith:

Sala Monasterio - moll de mestral 30-31 - Barcelona, Spain

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/sala.monasterio?fref=ts

WHO: Larry Smith organises jam sessions in a few different venues, including Grizzly Bar, The Shamrock and other places.

WHERE: Sala Monasterio (Now at their new venue at Vila Olympic)  moll de mestral 30-31 - Barcelona.

WHEN: Sunday 22nd June 20:30

WHY: Good opportunity to catch up with friends and play in front of a live audience

HOW MUCH: Free Entrance

It will be great to see some of you there! So if you're not abroad this weekend and looking for an excuse to head to the Marina for fresh air and live music, come and join us!!

(PLJ) Peace, love and Joy
RedEyeZack aka Zack Qureshi

Week 167: Focus on live performance in 2014

Hi Music Lovers,

I had a spell of playing 3/4 days live continuously and I must say I enjoyed it. It's really been difficult to practice every day for an hour a day to build up confidence for live performance but I only managed to do it for 1 week in the last 2 months!

So my objective for 2014 is to try to arrange my working schedule to allow me to play and practice more consistently.

Florence

I recently visited Florence and spent an evening listening to great acoustic music in a cathedral. It reminded me of the hauntingly sublime sound of the Portuguese group Madredeus. Classical guitar, vocals, violin and backing vocals with a hint of piano echoing in the great acoustics of the building. 

I popped into a cafe and was greeted by name, "Zack", the waiter said. I wondered if I had left a sticker on my jacket with my name written on it. After some time the waiter explained that his name was Alex and that we had played together in Brighton a few summers earlier. I was stunned and shocked because I couldn't remember him by his face... He had always worn a black Panama-style hat when he was in Brighton.

Then, when I met his girlfriend, it all came back to me. In fact we have more friends in common and we were already Facebook friends. He said he had been following my exploits in Bcn... 'Small world'! The couple regularly visit Bcn and now I have an excuse to visit Florence again. Here's Alecio's music profile: (nation page link)

BBQ

I was invited to a farmhouse Barbecue last weekend and played for the hosts. There was another guitarist there... We sang some covers and I played some original songs that my hosts insisted upon hearing. It was a glorious day and I was well fed and watered. Most of the guests were Sitges-based, so I have a few new contacts to set up some gigs in Sitges... We're looking towards the end of March 2014.

The Shamrock (Irish Pub Barcelona)

I joined my friend Larry Smith who hosts weekly onstage at the Shamrock bar on Friday nights. This night he had to entertain a group of merry and some completely pissed and rowdy tourists! I thought about making a run for it but it would have been difficult to escape without getting the shit kicked out of me. It turned out to be a great experience as I got them to sing-along to a rendition of One by U2 and Sitting on the dock of the bay. Then they were won over. The instinct is to run, but it's much more challenging to win them over! ;)

RADIO KANAL BARCELONA - RKB 106.9fm

I was invited as a last minute guest on radio kanal Barcelona to chat a bit about living in Bcn and a film I made here in 2000 called Tomandote or Tea for Two (English title). I've been offered the opportunity to start my own radio programme in Jan 2014, so I'm going to be able to indulge my two passions... Music (see www.redeyezack.com) and teaching English (see English with Zack). It's part of a 5-day English all-week morning radio programme from 9-10am Monday to Friday. Each day there will be a different host and I think my day will be Wednesday. Here's the page: ENGLISH RADIO BARCELONA

Tune in this Friday 17th 9am for an Interview with Lee Harris (Founder of Cinebar Meetup Group). We should also have podcasts available for those who miss the show.

An eventful few weeks and I'm off to the look for more people to collaborate with. I've packed my guitar for the weekend so I'm going to see if I can catch up with friends for a jam and do some more open mics.

Useful Expressions:

a spell of - a short period of time doing something

build up - to increase

managed to do it - to achieve something
consistently - regularly
reminded me of - made me remember something similar
popped into - visited to say hello
stunned - very surprised
all came back to me - I remembered everything
In fact - actually / the reality
friends in common - mutual friends (see facebook)
The couple - The romantic partners
hosts - Opposite of guests
fed and watered - feed me and give me drink
merry - very drunk but happy
pissed - Very very drunk
rowdy - noisy
thought about making a run for it - wanting to escape from the situation
getting the shit kicked out of me - be beaten badly
sing-along - all sing together
won over - To like someone after not liking them
win them over - win people / the audience in case of performer
off to - going to visit a place
catch up with friends - meet friends and hear their news
jam (v, n)- improvise with other musicians
open mics - a host invites performers to do 2 or 3 songs on stage

Week 134: Our friends electric

Hi Guys!

I must say that summer is on the doorstep and what better way of enjoying than getting out the electric guitar and start playing with the effects pedals. This week I go electric and will start playing solos for the first time. It also means getting new gear and taking advice from Ramon at Tanne Instrumentos.

It's great to be able to sit back and focus on the instrument and textures that can be created with the electric. I'm really looking forward to experiment with fusion songs with an Indian ambience. I'll have a go with Another brick in a wall (Pink Floyd) and light my fire (The Doors). I'm sure these two songs are gonna get me back into my playing. 

Here's an experimental fusion sound from a guitar riff I played at my last gig in Istanbul with Bollywood dancer Ayşegül Ucar. 

I'm looking for a Bellydancer to help me develop rhythm for this track. 

Well it's time to get organised and disciplined for some regular practice. I attended a vocal workout session hosted by Tamar Sinclair. It was an eye-opener and got me loosened up to use the voice. Always learning! 

PLJ

Zack aka RedEyeZack

Week 131:Building A Mailing List. NEW VIDEO. Free Download. House-Parties.

Hi Guys

I'd like to thank you for showing interest and despite the rain, coming to my 1st official gig at Pipiolo bar! It was wonderful to have a full house in such an intimate atmosphere. I hope that those that couldn't make it will get to the next gig.

I have a local mailing list which I'm building to inform music lovers of gigs, local venues, local bands I'm collaborating with. Please sign up on www.redeyezack.com. Or JOIN OUR MAILING LIST
Our monthly Newsletter also has the latest news of Gigs, videos, new songs, competitions, free downloads.

I'd very much like your support & look forward to performing new songs for you.

I'm looking to do Non-Traditional gigs & Houseparties. Drop me a line if you know any unconventional venues or you'd like to help me organise a gig for your friends. Email me at: redeyezack@gmail.com

My first free gig was at Teteria Salterio. At the end of the gig I collected a dozen email addresses. It's important to build a local following as the internet attempts to make us all global right from day one. I still need time to develop the craft of songwriting and performing live in front of a local audience. That's why I've chosen to play at small locations, house parties. 

By playing these, I'll be able to get real feedback on the songs and interact with the audience. Afterwards it may be possible to organise a gig in bigger venues, but they usually want you to rent the venue & bring people. 

As an artist starting out, this is too much to expect. I'd rather play a free gig in a place where the venue have their regular clients and bring people so I can expose my music to them, rather than paying to rent a venue and wondering if I'm not going to be able to bring enough people (thereby losing money).

One way to build a fanbase is to offer a free exclusive download in return for an email address. I've just added this to my homepage (see link above). 

This summer I'll be keeping you in touch with my travels, as I look for festivals and start recording my 1st EP.

Let me know if you have plans to visit Barcelona! :)

PLJ

Zack aka RedEyeZack

Week 129: Creating A Setlist

Hi Guys!

Well I'm pleased to say I managed to play for 1 hour and 20 minutes with about 11 Songs  at my first gig last Thursday at Teteria Salterio.

I started rehearsing last Monday and put a setlist together. Its important to change the key and pace of the songs. I kept the singalong songs till the 2nd part of the performance so I and the audience were both warmed up. I started with 2 completely unknown songs never heard before. 

Feel free to listen to these Red tracks by following the link:

• What Do You Feel
• Who Knows What You're Going To Be
• Summertime & Smile
• Hold Me & Flying Free
• The Purpose of Existence & RadhaKrishna
• Two Sparrows
• I Can't SleepTonight
• 21st Century Man & Satisfy My Soul

Then I introduced a poem called Sweet love and asked for a volunteer - Giulia to read some selected parts with me. Unfortunately I wasn't allowed to use the microphone and amplified that I had brought along. So it was a completely unplugged performance. Luckily most of the people sitting close were friends and they were very silent during the performance of the quieter songs like Sofia's Song. 

I gave a short introduction to each song, about where, how or why it was written. I decided not to keep regular time for a lot of the songs and improvise some intros and outros, with some breaks in the middle for teaching the audience some of the melodies. I finished on two very melodic and catchy songs.

Overall the gig went well. It was a calm and chillout atmosphere and I think the music reflected that.

Next gig is Saturday May 4th at Pipiolo. I look forward to seeing some of you there!!

Zack aka RedEyeZack

Week 127: Starting to Gig - Pipiolo Bar

Hi Music Lovers!

I've got my first paid gig at PIPIOLO on May 4th! I will be sharing the stage with POOL. It's a small, cozy place for an intimate evening of acoustic live music. Here's more info and a slideshow of our evening at the bottom.

https://www.facebook.com/pipiolo.bar

Last night after our Pink Floyd Jam session, a small group of us headed off to meet up with other friends in a music bar called 'Pipiolo'. Jose had brought along a producer/ singer-songwriter to introduce me to & I was there to meet the music organizer, Gemma to see if it may be a good place to start my small performances.

The tiny door at Pipiolo - C/ Balmes 113 had a guitar fretboard as the door handle and we stepped down into the cozy bar. The friendly staff took out guitars into the backroom which was full of more guitars! There were 3 musicians playing covers booked and 1 by 1 they came to perform a set of cover songs. Before the evening had finished we discussed the possibilities of organizing a gig for RedEyeZack for May. 

Pipiolo have music every night of the week from Tuesday to Saturday. From 10pm to midnight it's singer-songwriters with their own material and from midnight onwards it's covers groups. It's a small cozy place, 

people chat during cover performances so it looks like a good place to practice. I will visit a few more times in the week to get a feel for the place and how different the crowd are for the singer-songwriters.

Have a great week & catch up soon!

Zack aka RedEyeZack

Week 120: Event Organisation - Moritz (founded 1856) & Timeout

Hi Music Lovers!

We arrived promptly at 9pm and went down the steps to a basement/museum area. There was a table of event organizers dressed up in various costumes. 

I was invited by Alejandro whose friend was one of the organizers of the event 'Ornitorrinco'. It was free to enter if you were wearing a 'Fancy dress' costume, if not, 5 euros including a drink. We had come to see the first gig in the Moritz Fabrica sponsored by TimeOut Bcn. The restaurant upstairs has been open since Nov 2012 and the basement had been prepared for live music events. The sound and lighting systems made it good for live music and great for photos!

The hall was an open space with curiously placed pillars that divided the space into different corners. In one corner the band and stage, in another the temporary bar.

The lighting was very good and created a warm atmosphere. Sponsors logos were clearly visible as projections on the walls around the hall and 2 colourful projected logos around the stage area. There was also a Timeout advertising board and a 2nd stage for the DJ to spin after the gig.

The organizers concept was to put 2 bands: MiNE & The Seihos of varying styles onto the same stage, playing the same song and thereby creating a fusion. The second song I heard was Walk of Life by Dire Straits. The bands had clearly come out to entertain and get the party atmosphere going. As you can see the costumes were quite outrageous and very entertaining on stage. It was a university crowd and most of them were really up for it when it came to dressing up. My favorite was the three matadors (great costumes guys... where did you nick them?!).

Moritz Beer Factory Opening Party In Barcelona: http://youtu.be/SwmMwngInW0

Address: Cerveses Moritz, Ronda Sant Antoni, 41 08011 Barcelona.

Tel: 93426 00 50

Website: www.moritz.com/

Moritz on G+

TIMEOUT: TimeOut on Facebook

Source

Participants:

Aleko Capilouto, Xavi Pablo, Dani Royo, Ariadna Cebrián, Adrià de Yzaguirre, Mireia Serrano, Adri Ortiz, Héctor Ferreño, Dani Pujalte, Smile Films, Teo Campos, Luis Lungarini, Laura Guitérrez, Gal·la de Yzaguirre, David Oliete, Josep Torelló, Leonora García Casacuberta, Lucia Meler i Maria Vilaredas